Changes
by AlternativeRocker
Summary: One shot. Mistletoe, meals, New Year's Eve. Quite cute. Obviously Robbie/Jackie.


**A/N: I know I have months before Christmas but this has been fun to write and I've had a boring week's holiday. John Michie's a year older today; 53 :O Yay next month you'll be getting another fic 'cause it'll be Blythe Duff's birthday :) This fic is what you've grown to expect from me: Robbie and Jackie cuteness. I don't think there's any Matt in this, hardly any Stuart but one main OC who I kinda like. Oh the bit with the argument in the restaurant wasn't going to be put in but I think it goes okay with the rest of it. Long A/N I know and I'm sorry.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the four main stars as usual, but I do own the OCs.**

*******

**Changes**

*******

It was three days until Christmas Day and Jackie was looking forward to a quiet holiday. She strode into office then stopped with a look of horror on her face, "Mistletoe! Seriously guys I know you're desperate for human contact but this isn't the right way." The whole ceiling was covered in the plant.

"This had nothing to do with us, it was all Robbie!"

"I would never have suspected him of this," she sarcastically muttered under her breath, while going round the room detaching all the bits of plants that were hanging from lengths of string.

Robbie came in and saw the ceiling empty apart from one that Jackie must have missed. He was just sitting down in his chair when he felt a sharp slap across the back of the head,

"Bloody hell Jackie, what was that for?!"

"I guess the mistletoe was another way to irritate me. But Robbie I'm not getting married in a few days so what's your excuse this time?"

"Who said it was for your benefit? I put it up for Kate." Kate Anderson was a DC that had been working with them quite a lot recently. She was a couple of years younger than all of them but they had accepted her quickly because she was so open yet modest of her talents. Midway through Jackie rolling her eyes Kate walked in through the door.

"Kate, apparently covering the office with mistletoe was Robbie's way of saying that he wants a kiss from you."

"Yeah course he does."

"He told me so. I thought it was to annoy me but nope, it's all for you." Behind her back Robbie was shaking his head: Kate knew that he was telling her it was really for Jackie. Kate picked up on people's emotions quicker than most so within her first day she had guessed Robbie and Jackie were devoted to each other and she now felt slightly irked at Robbie for bringing her into their hidden battle to conquer the other. So instead she decided to play along with Jackie,

"Okay then Robbie. I'll take the kiss if you're offering."

Robbie glared at her as he said though gritted teeth, "I would love to." Kate moved over to the lone piece of mistletoe, trying not to laugh at Robbie's annoyed expression.

Jackie couldn't look when he kissed her. She could deny it all she wanted but she was jealous of the DC. Since she wasn't looking, she didn't see Robbie whisper into Kate's ear,

"I'll never forgive you."

"Well you should have told her that it was put there for her." All Jackie heard was the five second kiss that followed.

A couple of hours later and Jackie was still glancing up at Robbie and Kate with a slight hint of jealousy in her eyes. On one of these looks, Kate intercepted and asked a question,

"Jackie do you want to come to my house for a bit tonight? We could have a girly night, get a bottle of wine in and watch some good old romantic movies."

"How could I refuse when there's alcohol involved?" She tried her best to look excited about the upcoming evening but not much was achieved because of her underlining annoyance at the slightly blonde new friend she had.

Later that night Jackie and Kate were on a sofa, not really interested in the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan film they had put on some time before. Out of nowhere Kate brought up the subject that Jackie had been dreading to discuss,

"Jackie, the mistletoe wasn't for me."

"Kate he told me, I don't care."

"You might be able to fool our dashing Inspector like that, but I know you couldn't stop shooting both of us evil looks all day."

Jackie felt a little embarrassed at being caught out, "Sorry about that."

"It's okay, I understand but listen, everything Robbie does is for you."

"Kate, I know you can see how I feel about him but you don't have to try to console me."

"I am not trying to console you!" Jackie let the words settle in her mind before changing the path of the discussion,

"So is Jason not jealous of you kissing Robbie?"

"No. I explained the situation to him and he was fine with it." Kate didn't have to elaborate that by 'the situation' it meant a lovestruck Sergeant who forced her friend into kissing the office's playboy.

"Look, I don't me to pry, but what does a kiss on the mouth feel like from Robbie?... You know what, don't even answer that. I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine. Well it did nothing for me, but I think you would like them."

"Oh God, why do I feel this way about him?! He's the opposite of everything that I dreamed of when I was growing up." She closed her eyes and tipped her head back against the cushions in clear frustration of herself. After a few moments of silence Jackie changed the subject,

"I guess Jason is working tonight?"

Unsurprisingly, Kate turned it right back to where Jackie didn't want to go, "Yeah. I can't imagine what it's like for you being away from Robbie for so much time, it would destroy me if I wasn't with Jason for that long."

"I got used to it, and most days I'm so pissed off at something he's done that I don't miss him."

_*******_

When Jackie got into the office the next morning she made sure there wasn't any mistletoe lying around that Robbie could use as some horrible joke on her, then got herself a cup of strong coffee to try and cure the minor hangover she had. Kate walked in, looking just as in need of caffeine as Jackie was. Robbie walked in late as usual and if possible looking worse than the two females.

"And before you ask, lovely Miss Reid, I have not been up all night shagging anyone. I was over at Stuart's place. You need to meet Chris, he's great for Stuart and he's so much better than any of the others Stuarty's been involved with. And they had far too much alcohol which the made me drink!" Jackie smiled at how much Robbie had grown to love Stuart, just as she had. She knew Stuart wouldn't have even had to ask Robbie to drink as much as he had, it was just Robbie's love of alcohol.

"I'll be meeting him tonight. They're coming over to my place for an early Christmas dinner."

"Make sure you don't poison them because of your terrible cooking." Kate expected something to go flying at him, but instead she just heard Jackie mimic his voice and repeat what he had just said.

"Is your cooking really that bad Jackie?"

"Oh Kate, you've never had the privilege of having to take days off work after having one of Jackie's meals."

"That was one time and I'm still adamant that was the wine, not me."

"Even if it was the 'wine' you're still a terrible cook."

"True. Yeah, don't tell Stuart but the food they're getting tonight is microwaved stuff out of Tesco down the road."

When Stuart and Matt arrived back from where they had been, the other three went for some lunch. Robbie left them after a while but the girls didn't mind. When they got back up to the office, Jackie sat down in her chair, not really noticing that Robbie had a huge grin on his face as he said,

"Jackie look above you."

Robbie had taken the time out off his lunch break to place a lone piece of mistletoe that he had had in his pocket, between his and Jackie's desk. She had given up trying to reason with herself over the past twenty-four hours, so she stood up and kissed him. Her hand found it's way to the back of his head and got lost in his hair. She broke it off a few seconds later when she realised how stupid her actions were.

"There! Is that okay for you?"

Robbie still had his mouth wide open in shock. He would never have expected Jackie to be like that. There was no doubt he had enjoyed those seconds but he was still surprised that it was Jackie that had kissed him first.

*******

A week later they were in the kitchen area discussing New Year's Eve which was in two days' time.

"So who is everyone bringing for New Years celebrations with me?"

They knew Robbie had already booked six places in a Chinese restaurant in the centre of town. Any other restaurant was going to be closed on New Years Eve but because they bought a lot of take-outs from the same company, the owner was allowing them to have a celebration there so he could take their money. Then they were going to go to one of their houses to see the New Year in together while watching some rubbish Hogmanay celebration programme on Scottish TV.

Kate spoke first, "Jason obviously."

"Who's Jason?"

"My boyfriend of about a year, remember his name at all?"

"Your boyfriend?! Why have you never mentioned him before?"

"Robbie, I mention him at least twice every day!"

Robbie looked over at the other woman in the room, who he trusted and loved more than anyone was yet to realise, "Does she Jackie?"

"Yep. You really have to start paying attention darling."

Robbie put his arm round Jackie's shoulder, "You know I always pay attention when it's you talking though, don't you?" Kate noticed the way both their eyes brightened at the contact.

"Okay if you're paying attention then you'll realise there are four of us detectives agreeing to come with you on New Year's but you've only booked six places, knowing that Stuart and Kate would find someone to bring along. What if you or I had wanted to bring someone?"

"I wasn't going to let that happen."

"Am I allowed to ask for another reason."

"No," then he went back to his desk, leaving Jackie even more confused than how she had started.

*******

On New Year's Eve Jackie was wearing a grey hoodie that was a bit big for her. She used the excuse that it was the middle of winter and that it was cold, nothing to do with the fact that it still smelt slightly of Robbie because she had left it in his flat the weekend previous. She had a deep blue top on underneath for when they got somewhere warm.

Robbie had suggested that he walked past Jackie's flat since it was on his way to the restaurant so he turned up ten minutes late and they walked together, their hands occasionally brushing each other, their blushes hidden behind the effects of the cold weather and the ever-increasing darkness around them.

When they arrived at the restaurant the two couples unsurprisingly were already there and had ordered them drinks. The four were sat across from each to other, meaning that Robbie and Jackie had to sit facing each other. On her right-hand side was Jason, whom Jackie had met quite a few times before, having been over at Kate's for girly nights a lot in recent weeks.

"Hi Jason. Nice to see someone who I can have an intellectual conversation with after having to walk here with him."

"Hey! We've had worse journeys; the one after I found put about your divorce, most of the ones where I wander away and you complain that I don't work hard enough and all the shit that you talk about when you're annoyed."

"Oh fuck off Robbie!" she couldn't help how annoyed she was at him, even though she had no idea why, "You do realise that you were one of, if not, the reason that I didn't quit and move away after Michael died and I'm still waiting for something to prove it was worth it?!"

"I was the reason you stayed?" Stuart and Kate had been watching this exchange with baited breath, both of them realised the way Robbie's voice softened when Jackie had admitted the truth about the past, "That was seven years ago Jackie! Or are you still hung up on your marriage and lost dreams?" Robbie didn't mean one word of what he was saying, nobody knew but he was still trying to get over his marriage and that had ended fourteen years ago. He regretted saying it when he saw Jackie's face though, he realised that she had forsaken her _marriage and lost dreams _because of him, and he had, in all of one sentence, threw it back in her face. She looked close to tears at that point and he hated himself for it.

"Guys, can we have one night without the both of you bloody arguing?!" Stuart knew how they felt about each other but they argued far too much for it to help their relationship.

Jackie excused herself after a couple of minutes to go to the toilet and Robbie waited a bit and then followed her to where the toilets were. He waited at the door and when she saw him her face showed how upset she was at him.

"Jackie, let me say something please."

"No. I think I know what your feelings toward me now are." She tried to walk past him but he took hold of her arm and turned her round.

"Jackie I'm sorry. Back there I wasn't annoyed at you, I didn't mean any of it. I was angrier with myself and how I've never let you see how much you mean to me," he took a pause and she knew he was being sincere with what he said, "You're the most important person in my life. More important than Stuart, Kate, even Jamie."

"I'm sorry too Robbie, I don't know why I got so angry," she gave him a little smile, "Want to go back to the table?"

"Are we good?"

"Yeah course we are."

On the way back to the table Robbie said, "I think we really need to stop arguing as much. I hate to see that I keep upsetting you."

"Maybe we should limit it to about three arguments a day?"

"That sounds around the proper amount." They both laughed and they knew that they would, more than likely, have at least double that amount but that they would get over it now.

When all their food had arrived there were about four different conversation going on at one time. Robbie began a new one by picking up a bit of his meal on his fork and asking if Jackie wanted to try some.

"No Robbie, I'm fine with what I've got."

"I know you would like this."

"And you suddenly know what type of meat I like?"

"Yeah. Known you for too long. Your prefer meat when it's on a man..." he didn't get to finish his sentence because Jackie kicked him extremely hard on the leg.

"If it'll make you shut up, then okay!" She leaned across the table and ate it off his fork. She had to admit that whatever type of chicken that was, it tasted wonderful. Jackie looked up at Robbie's amused expression. That was the look that she loved. He had the faintest grin playing on his lips and she watched as he lifted the fork and put it in his mouth.

"You taste good Jacks." She could feel her cheeks turning scarlet as he said it.

*******

On the way back to Stuart's flat, Robbie kept going behind her and putting the hood up just so he could see the faint smile before she built up walls and pretended to be annoyed. When they got to their destination, Jackie quickly took of the jumper so that Robbie couldn't irritate her with it and looked at her watch, noticing it was nearly twelve,

"I need a guy to kiss at midnight, and the only choices I have are my gay best friend, his boyfriend, my other friend's partner or the serial shagger over there!" Stuart, Chris and Jason quickly refused, saying that they already had their partner.

"I'll do it, you need a good kiss anyway - must be years since you had one of those."

"Are you forgetting that I kissed you last week, Ross?" Kate knew that Jackie was trying to distance herself from him by using his surname but Robbie didn't mind it.

"Well that wasn't exactly a full on snog, you hardly even touched my lips."

"You really are intolerable Robbie Ross!"

"You'll hate me more when I tell Stuart and Chris about your culinary confession last week."

"Don't you dare," she warned.

"Chris, Stuart. You know that, probably delicious, meal you had at Jackie's flat last week? She bought it from a supermarket, microwaved it then tried to pass it off as her own." He could see Jackie glaring at him.

"We guessed as much. Sorry Jackie but it was far too good to be yours."

Jackie crossed her arms and tried not to laugh at the current situation. After a few minutes Robbie started on his mission to kiss Jackie again,

"Come on Jacks you have two minutes until twelve o'clock. You won't find anyone in that time."

She closed her eyes, afraid of what her body was telling her to do.

"Sure you don't want to kiss Kate again?"

"No of course I don't! You're the woman who I whole-heartedly adore so I idiotically put mistletoe in the office then denied it because I was scared of what might happen if I actually admitted it was for you. And I can safely say you shocked everyone by kissing me the next day, incidentally you can use this next sentence as a quote in any future argument that we share. I was completely turned on by that kiss and it was then that I realised I couldn't ever live without you," he went over to her and gently moved a strand of hair from her face, "It's always been you, Jackie. Always." He placed a little kiss to her forehead and whispered, "I really love you." He moved his lips down to her cheek then to the corner of her mouth.

She looked up at him, "I really love you too Robbie." The other four people in the room had completely forgotten about it being midnight, they were too entranced with the scene in front of them. Robbie moved his hands to her waist and pulled her even closer and gave her a kiss which was fully on the lips and they stayed like that until they needed to breathe.

"Wanna go back to my place? Start the New Year with a bit of fun?" Jackie laughed at his insinuation but nodded,

"You read my mind Robs. But let's stay here for a bit longer, I think I might need some more drink before getting into bed with you."

Stuart shouted over from where he was with Chris in the kitchen, "Hey there's young people here who don't want images that might scar them for the rest of their lives!"

Robbie and Jackie ignored him as Robbie spoke quietly to her, "I'm glad you didn't leave. It would have killed me."

"Thanks for persuading me to stay because you knew no-one else would be able to cope with you." She tilted her head back to let him kiss her again, this time for longer and a bit more passionately. The others rolled their eyes and left them alone, taking their conversations to the kitchen.

**The End.**


End file.
